Post by alwayslearning on Dec 18, 2014 15:52:04 GMT -5
I’m surprised no one has started this thread yet but I suppose we’ve all been licking our wounds after Washington’s loss to Nebraska Friday night. I thought I had matured to the point where I had achieved some sort of Buddhist non-attachment when it came to team sports. Wrong. The way I felt after this match reminded me of the way I felt after the Supersonics lost to the Nuggets in the first round of the 1994 playoffs. Or the Mariners loss to the Yankees in the ALCS after the glorious 2001 season.
The Huskies return a lot of talented players next year but they also face a number of questions. Here are a few to kick-start the discussion:
How does UW replace the production of Vansant and Nelson?
The short answer is that, particularly with Vansant, there will be an inevitable dropoff. Scambray is the heir apparent at OH1. While Tia had a generally excellent first year, she was inconsistent. She played really, really well in some big matches (Stanford, Wisconsin), and kind of disappeared or played poorly in others, most notably UW’s three losses (Nebraska, Colorado, Utah). She was the weakest link in serve receive and her defense could be improved. The only area where Tia compares to a 2014 Vansant is in the service game. Some have suggested that Tia’s unorthodox arm swing makes it too easy for a good block to get set and predict her angle. JMac is going to have to get the most out of Scambray to remain at or near the top of the Pac 12.
Crissy Jones will almost certainly be the Huskies #1 option on the right side. Jones came on strong the last half of the season, finishing with an overall .279 hitting average (.050 points higher than Scambray). While Nelson finished another .060 points higher than Jones, my own opinion is that Jones will continue to improve and will reach Nelson-type numbers relatively soon if she stays at Opposite. Jones is an excellent blocker.
Will the Huskies experiment with a 5-1?
The 6-2 has inherent disadvantages in terms of setting consistency. Teams with an outstanding setter generally run a 5-1. I would be surprised if JMac does not give some serious consideration to running a 5-1 with Bailey Tanner at the helm. In her first year, Tanner showed marked improvement in her setting skills from September through December. I think she is the most athletic of UW’s three setters and has the highest ceiling. As a 5-1 setter, she would be much more of an offensive threat when in the front row than either Beals or Finau and would very likely be a better blocker (though we haven’t had a chance to assess the blocking skills of any of UW’s setters). She also has three more years to develop as a setter, which is one reason I would suggest she is a better candidate for the 5-1 than Beals. Although there’s no reason to think Beals cannot make a full recovery from her ACL tear, we won’t really know until training camp. On the other hand, Tanner’s location was inconsistent this year, her connection with Wade and Sybeldon wasn’t great, and her hands are not as soft as some of the better setters that UW faces.
Who will step in and play OH2 and OPP2?
Courtney Schwan seems like the obvious choice to play OH2. She filled in admirably for Jones at OPP at the end of the season and JMac felt comfortable enough with her passing to play her in serve receive early in the season. She hits a heavy ball, has a nice roll shot, and generally seems to play with a high volleyball IQ. My guess is that she only needs continuous playing time to develop into a really good pin hitter. Probably the biggest question is whether she could handle the serve receive and defensive responsibilities of a six-rotation player.
The bigger question might be who would play OPP2, assuming that Jones is OPP1 and the Huskies run a 6-2 offense with two right side hitters rotating in for each other. The candidates would include DeHoog, Schwan, Tanner, and possibly the 2015 recruit Destiny Julye. As a 6’4” lefty, DeHoog looks good on paper but she saw very little playing time and one would assume that she would need to improve her game significantly to get playing time. Schwan can obviously play the position but then who plays OH2 – perhaps Julye (or vice versa, with Julye at OH2 and Schwan at OPP2)? Either way, that might be asking too much of Julye. Some have suggested that Tanner is the best option, playing setter for three rotations in the back row and Opposite for three rotations in the front row. Those who know more about Tanner’s hitting and blocking abilities, please chime in.
Of course, if Tanner is setting a 5-1, the question of who plays OPP2 may be moot. Maybe the Huskies run an “old school” 5-1 like Stanford did this year, with two six-rotation hitters on the left side and a six-rotation player on the right side who does not receive serve (Boukather for Stanford in 2014; Jones for UW in 2015).
The Huskies return a lot of talented players next year but they also face a number of questions. Here are a few to kick-start the discussion:
How does UW replace the production of Vansant and Nelson?
The short answer is that, particularly with Vansant, there will be an inevitable dropoff. Scambray is the heir apparent at OH1. While Tia had a generally excellent first year, she was inconsistent. She played really, really well in some big matches (Stanford, Wisconsin), and kind of disappeared or played poorly in others, most notably UW’s three losses (Nebraska, Colorado, Utah). She was the weakest link in serve receive and her defense could be improved. The only area where Tia compares to a 2014 Vansant is in the service game. Some have suggested that Tia’s unorthodox arm swing makes it too easy for a good block to get set and predict her angle. JMac is going to have to get the most out of Scambray to remain at or near the top of the Pac 12.
Crissy Jones will almost certainly be the Huskies #1 option on the right side. Jones came on strong the last half of the season, finishing with an overall .279 hitting average (.050 points higher than Scambray). While Nelson finished another .060 points higher than Jones, my own opinion is that Jones will continue to improve and will reach Nelson-type numbers relatively soon if she stays at Opposite. Jones is an excellent blocker.
Will the Huskies experiment with a 5-1?
The 6-2 has inherent disadvantages in terms of setting consistency. Teams with an outstanding setter generally run a 5-1. I would be surprised if JMac does not give some serious consideration to running a 5-1 with Bailey Tanner at the helm. In her first year, Tanner showed marked improvement in her setting skills from September through December. I think she is the most athletic of UW’s three setters and has the highest ceiling. As a 5-1 setter, she would be much more of an offensive threat when in the front row than either Beals or Finau and would very likely be a better blocker (though we haven’t had a chance to assess the blocking skills of any of UW’s setters). She also has three more years to develop as a setter, which is one reason I would suggest she is a better candidate for the 5-1 than Beals. Although there’s no reason to think Beals cannot make a full recovery from her ACL tear, we won’t really know until training camp. On the other hand, Tanner’s location was inconsistent this year, her connection with Wade and Sybeldon wasn’t great, and her hands are not as soft as some of the better setters that UW faces.
Who will step in and play OH2 and OPP2?
Courtney Schwan seems like the obvious choice to play OH2. She filled in admirably for Jones at OPP at the end of the season and JMac felt comfortable enough with her passing to play her in serve receive early in the season. She hits a heavy ball, has a nice roll shot, and generally seems to play with a high volleyball IQ. My guess is that she only needs continuous playing time to develop into a really good pin hitter. Probably the biggest question is whether she could handle the serve receive and defensive responsibilities of a six-rotation player.
The bigger question might be who would play OPP2, assuming that Jones is OPP1 and the Huskies run a 6-2 offense with two right side hitters rotating in for each other. The candidates would include DeHoog, Schwan, Tanner, and possibly the 2015 recruit Destiny Julye. As a 6’4” lefty, DeHoog looks good on paper but she saw very little playing time and one would assume that she would need to improve her game significantly to get playing time. Schwan can obviously play the position but then who plays OH2 – perhaps Julye (or vice versa, with Julye at OH2 and Schwan at OPP2)? Either way, that might be asking too much of Julye. Some have suggested that Tanner is the best option, playing setter for three rotations in the back row and Opposite for three rotations in the front row. Those who know more about Tanner’s hitting and blocking abilities, please chime in.
Of course, if Tanner is setting a 5-1, the question of who plays OPP2 may be moot. Maybe the Huskies run an “old school” 5-1 like Stanford did this year, with two six-rotation hitters on the left side and a six-rotation player on the right side who does not receive serve (Boukather for Stanford in 2014; Jones for UW in 2015).